Living in the Bay Area, I’m anything except “richâ€. But I guess according to most standards, I’m in the top few percent. But I can’t remember how often I have said this to my friends: “The only reason I got a hybrid was to buy my way into the carpool lane.â€
And yeah, it is totally worth it!!! But how much did our government make off my desire to drive faster than all the commoners? $8. Honda got the rest. What a bunch of suckers.
I did the same think. The day after Bush the younger signed the transportation bill that approved the carpool lane stickers for hybrids, I walked into a Toyota dealership and bought a Prius. I never would have purchased it absent the carpool lane incentive.